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Antony and Cleopatra

Chapter 1: ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
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The play follows the turbulent partnership between a Roman triumvir and an Egyptian queen as political ambition, personal passion, and shifting alliances pull them between imperial duty and intimate excess. Scenes move between councils, military camps, and royal courts, portraying intrigues among rival leaders, betrayals, and waning authority. As military fortunes reverse, private loyalty collides with public necessity, prompting desperate decisions that culminate in tragic deaths. The work explores the interplay of love and power, contrasts disciplined statecraft with lavish court life, and traces how pride, honor, and political calculation shape public fate and private ruin.

The Project Gutenberg eBook of Antony and Cleopatra

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Title: Antony and Cleopatra

Author: William Shakespeare

Release date: November 1, 1998 [eBook #1534]
Most recently updated: September 19, 2025

Language: English

Credits: the PG Shakespeare Team, a team of about twenty Project Gutenberg volunteers

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA ***

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA

by William Shakespeare